While brain-computer interfaces are busy grabbing headlines, Paris-based medtech company Robeauté is tackling neurosurgery with something arguably more tangible: a tiny, steerable robot the size of a grain of rice. This self-propelled microrobot, just 1.8 millimeters long, promises to boldly go where rigid, straight-line surgical tools physically cannot, potentially revolutionizing treatment for brain tumors and other neurological diseases. The startup recently secured a hefty $28 million in a Series A funding round to turn this science fiction concept into a clinical reality.
The core innovation from Robeauté is a modular device capable of navigating the brain’s delicate structures along curved paths. This addresses a fundamental limitation of current neurosurgery, where access is often restricted to what lies in a direct line from the point of entry. Co-founded by robotics veteran Bertrand Duplat, whose mother’s battle with an inoperable glioblastoma inspired the mission, the company aims to equip surgeons with a tool for unprecedented precision. The platform’s first application is for advanced tumor biopsies, with future plans to deliver targeted therapies and implant electrodes. After successful animal trials, Robeaute is targeting first-in-human trials for 2026.
Why is this important?
Current neurosurgery is a high-stakes discipline severely constrained by the straight-line access of probes and needles, rendering many areas of the brain effectively “no-go zones.” A maneuverable, millimeter-scale robot could fundamentally alter this paradigm. By enabling surgeons to reach previously inaccessible tumors for more accurate diagnosis and localized treatment, Robeauté’s platform could significantly improve outcomes for some of the most aggressive brain diseases, which affect more than a billion people globally. It’s less about reading the mind and more about rewriting a patient’s prognosis.
